The season of Honey Deuce cocktails at Flushing Meadows is upon us as the 2026 US Open main draw gets under way in New York this Sunday.
This year’s fourth and final Grand Slam will feature some of the biggest names in tennis and breakout players on the up and up, although there will also be some notable injured absentees.
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The mixed doubles title has already been claimed by Czech pair Karolina Muchova and Jakub Mensik on Wednesday night after defeating Switzerland’s Belinda Bencic and Italy’s Flavio Cobolli.
Here’s everything you need to know about the US Open main draw:
Where and when is the US Open?
All the main draw action from August 30 until September 13 is at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, just outside New York City.
The men’s and women’s quarterfinals begin on September 8 , followed by:
Women’s singles semifinals: September 10
Men’s singles semifinals: September 11
Women’s final: September 12
Men’s final: September 13
Who are the top seeds?
Women’s singles:
Aryna Sabalenka
Elina Rybakina
Jessica Pegula
Coco Gauff
Mirra Andreeva
Karolina Muchova
Linda Noskova
Iga Swiatek
Amanda Anisimova
Elina Svitolina
Men’s singles:
Alexander Zverev
Carlos Alcaraz
Felix Auger-Aliassime
Alex de Minaur
Ben Shelton
Novak Djokovic
Daniil Medvedev
Flavio Cobolli
Taylor Fritz
Alexander Bublik
Jakub Mensik and Karolina Muchova celebrate their mixed doubles win [Frank Franklin II/AP Photo]
What are some major storylines?
Top-ranked Jannik Sinner withdraws: The World number one said he was “very sad and disappointed” to withdraw from after being unable to recover from a right knee injury that has sidelined him since winning the Wimbledon title. The Italian pulled out of hard-court tournaments in Montreal and Cincinnati that serve as a warm-up for the US Open.
Carlos Alcaraz back in action: The Spaniard will look to defend his title after a four-month hiatus from tennis due to a wrist injury, but Sinner’s absence means the crowd will not see the beloved “Sincaraz” rivalry this time.
Serena Williams, Alcaraz pair up for iconic mixed doubles duo: Two generational greats teamed up for this year’s mixed doubles, although their star power faded as they fell to Cobolli and Bencic in the quarterfinal.
Serena and Venus Williams receive doubles wildcard: The 23-time Grand Slam champion received a women’s doubles wildcard alongside older sister Venus. They have played together at the US Open nine times, winning in 1999 and 2009. Venus also received a wildcard for the women’s singles.
2016 champion Stan Wawrinka handed last-minute wildcard: The former world number three was left off the initial list of wildcard entries in his farewell season, but was handed the entry on Wednesday after several days of outcry from fans over his exclusion.
Teen sensation Moise Kouame makes US Open debut: The 17-year-old made history at this year’s French Open when he became the youngest male Grand Slam winner in 17 years. However, the Frenchman’s US Open debut ended in the qualifying round after defeat to Nishesh Basavareddy of the US.
Novak Djokovic continues pursuit of elusive 25th slam: The world number five Djokovic has been in relentless pursuit of a record 25th Slam title since winning his 24th at the US Open in 2023. The Serbian’s ambition has repeatedly been tested by age as the 39-year-old struggled with stifling humidity at this month’s Cincinnati Open. Still, he reached the Australian Open final this year as well as the Wimbledon semifinal.
His brief on-court appearance in New York this week was for primetime exhibition matches ahead of a trip to Newport, Rhode Island to be enshrined in the International Tennis Hall of Fame on Saturday.
He’s back – The Roger Federer: An Icon Returns to New York’ exhibition match during US Open Fan Week at Arthur Ashe Stadium [Sarah Yenesel/EPA]
Who’s likely to lift the trophy?
With Sinner out of contention, Alcaraz has a clear shot at his title defence for a third US Open win.
Wimbledon champion and top seed Alexander Zverev will also be looking to carry momentum from his maiden Slam win in June, although the German was knocked out in the fourth round at last week’s Cincinnati Open.
Arthur Fils, seeded 23rd, could be a surprise contender in the final four after the Frenchman defeated American Frances Tiafoe to clinch his maiden Masters 1000 title in Cincinnati last week.
Alcaraz will be chasing a third US Open title after defeating Sinner in the final last year [Sarah Stier/AFP]
Over on the women’s side, Gauff will look to defeat top-ranked Sabalenka for a repeat of her maiden US Open title in 2023, although the Belarusian will be eyeing a third consecutive win in New York.
World number two Rybakina is hot on Sabalenka’s heels for the top spot with 8,141 points to Sabalenka’s 8,575.
At 32, Jessica Pegula is the oldest top 10 player, but has been a finalist and semifinalist in the past two years and will look to continue that on home soil this year too.
Russian teenager Andreeva bagged her maiden Slam title at the French Open this summer and sits at a career-high world number five, although a fourth round appearance in New York will be her deepest at the US Open.
Alex Eala of the Philippines will be a force to watch after the 21-year-old found her breakthrough with a maiden WTA title this month at the Washington Open.
She received a wildcard for the US Open mixed doubles with Auger-Aliassime, although the duo fell in the first round to husband-and-wife duo of Gael Monfils and Svitolina.
Eala will headline the Stars of the Open exhibition event at Arthur Ashe on Thursday alongside young players Joao Fonseca, Iva Jovic and Learner Tien.
Eala received a wildcard for the US Open mixed doubles with Felix Auger-Aliassime, although the duo fell in the first round to husband-and-wife duo of Gael Monfils and Svitolina [Geoff Burke/Imagn Images]
What’s the prize money this year?
A record $108m prize pot is up for grabs this time:
Singles
Winner: $5.5m Finalist: $2.8m Semi-finalist: $1.45m Quarter-finalist: $780,000 Round of 16: $480,000 Round of 32: $290,000 Round of 64: $190,000 Round of 128: $140,000 Qualifying Round of 32: $66,000 Qualifying Round of 64: $48,000 Qualifying Round of 128: $32,000
Doubles ($ per pair)
Winner: $1m Finalist: $500,000 Semi-finalist: $250,000 Quarter-finalist: $125,000 Round of 16: $75,000 Round of 32: $45,000 Round of 64: $30,000
Who are some notable absences this year?
Alongside Sinner, Brazil’s Fonseca (ATP 26th ranking) and Briton Jack Draper (ATP 141st ranking) will be absent from the men’s side.
Emma Raducanu of Britain, world number 15 Victoria Mboko of Canada and Hailey Baptiste of the US, ranked 34rd, are other big names who won’t be in action.
Striker Haaland has scored seven goals during Norway’s historic run to the quarter-finals.
This is their first World Cup since 1998 – and the furthest they have gone.
It has turned into a summer to remember after wins over Iraq, Senegal, Ivory Coast and Brazil, with Haaland hitting form.
On Friday, the main focus of the last-eight tie was on Haaland and England captain Harry Kane, who has scored six times in five games at the tournament.
Asked if it would be a straight shootout between the prolific goalscoring pair to determine the outcome, Solbakken said “it’s Norway against England”.
“It’s not a secret that Kane is match-winner number one for England and Erling is match-winner number one for us,” he added.
“There’s no doubt that he [Haaland] is our biggest match-winner, but I think you underestimate some of the other players if you think that’s the whole theme.
“He also needs service but you can’t deny that he is a big, big match-winner for us.”
After battling past co-hosts Mexico 3-2 in the last 16, despite having defender Jarell Quansah sent off in the 54th minute at a hostile Azteca Stadium, Solbakken is a big admirer of England.
He said: “We need to compete and defend properly. We need to concentrate on the pitch and then we can be ourselves.
“Jude Bellingham and Kane score from great positions. I think the most impressive [England] game came when they were better than Mexico.
“Mexico created very few chances and I think [Thomas] Tuchel managed to get their best players in good position. And being match-winners like Bellingham, Kane – they have several options on the wings which means that if one doesn’t have the day, another comes in and then obviously does something good, then steady out in the middle of the park with Elliot Anderson and Declan Rice.”
Norway had 66.4% possession during the memorable win over Brazil.
Asked if he expected his side to have a similar amount against England, Solbakken added: “No I don’t.
“It’s getting hotter. We have trained very lightly. We’ve not done as much hard work [in training]. We have had technical sessions but in a lower tempo.
There are several new additions to the new series too, including Olivia Attwood and her mum Jennifer, Harry and Matt aka Nitro and Legend from Gladiators.
Finishing off the line-up are Strictly star George Clark and content creator Max Balegde comedian and actor, Julian Clary and actor and television presenter, Nigel Havers.
And for the latest instalment, show favourites Stephen Mangan and his sister Anita were back on the sofa – and fans were over the moon. On X, one person declared: “So glad Stephen and Anita are back!” Someone else wrote: “My favourites!” A third chimed in: “Love these two.”
Stephen is a presenter and actor who found fame playing Nathan Stern in The Split, alongside Nicola Walker, Fiona Button, Annabel Scholey, and Barry Atsma.
Beyond his acting credentials, the star also hosts Artist of the Year on Sky Arts. He also fronted the ITV game show The Fortune Hotel. Meanwhile, his sister Anita is an artist, illustrator, and designer. The brother-sister duo frequently collaborate on popular children’s books, with Anita illustrating the stories that Stephen writes
In 2023, Anita opened up about working with her brother on the books. When asked whose idea it was to work together, she told The Bath Magazine: “Mine! I’ve been an illustrator and designer for years and have wanted to work with Stephen for a long time.
“Stephen is brilliant at writing but can’t draw (his words!), so it’s a great match! I convinced him to consider it. Initially he thought we’d be doing picture books, where I did most of the work … but no, I said ‘40,000 word chapter books please!’ I got my way, mwahahahaha.”
Talking about their relationship, Anita added to the publication: “We have always been close and have been making each other laugh since we were children. Now we’re still making each other laugh – and our readers too (hopefully!). I always look forward to reading the first draft of Stephen’s books to see what drawing challenges there will be. I once told him that drawing horses is hard, so he put horses in The Fart that Changed the World, goats in The Unlikely Rise of Harry Sponge and The Great Reindeer Rescue is full of reindeer.”
Stephen added: “Well, I am the big brother – that’s what we do. I love working with Anita. It’s a treat to see how she illustrates my characters, and she always makes me laugh.”
Celebrity Gogglebox airs every Friday at 9pm on Channel 4
Ivory Coast defeats France 2-1 in friendly ahead of the 2026 World Cup, as Manchester United’s Amad Diallo seals win.
Published On 4 Jun 20264 Jun 2026
France has brushed aside concerns over their World Cup readiness after suffering a surprise 2-1 defeat by Ivory Coast in a tournament warm-up match, insisting the setback will serve as a useful reminder rather than a cause for alarm.
Didier Deschamps’s side led through a superb first-half goal from Rayan Cherki on Thursday, but they were overrun after the break as Guela Doue and Amad Diallo turned the game around for the Elephants in Nantes.
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With France opening their World Cup campaign against Senegal in New York on June 16, midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni said the result should be viewed in the context of preparations.
“It’s a pity to lose, but we’re in a preparation phase; we stay confident,” Tchouameni said.
“There is no conclusion to draw from this game, even if we had won it. We will be ready.”
France fielded an experimental side, with several Paris Saint-Germain players rested after last weekend’s Champions League final triumph, and made numerous changes after halftime.
Defender Lucas Hernandez also played down the significance of the defeat.
“We always want to win, but we’re in a phase of preparation, and there were a lot of substitutions,” Hernandez said.
“We’re in good spirits.”
Deschamps, however, admitted that his side had lost control of the contest after an encouraging opening 45 minutes and warned that France would face opponents with similar qualities to Ivory Coast in the United States.
“A defeat is never pleasant, even if we did some good things in the first half,” Deschamps said.
“In the second half we made a lot of changes, but that’s no excuse. We were not as good after the break, and they brought a lot of pace.
“We will face the same type of team on June 16.”
The France coach said the result could prove useful if it prevented his players from becoming complacent before the tournament.
“It’s a reminder, if we needed one, not to think we’re better than we are,” he said.
Cherki added: “It’s a little warning, and I can tell you we’re not going to the World Cup thinking we’re favourites, but we’re going to crush everyone.”
No-one has won the World Cup Golden Boot more than once – but two men have a good chance to become the first to do so this summer.
Mbappe scored four goals in World Cup qualifying and as one of the strongest squads in the tournament, it is likely that 2022 finalists France will reach the latter stages of the competition.
Another striker seeking a historic second boot is Kane. At 32, he is as we know significantly older than the average winner – but with 54 goals for his club this season, Kane is no average player. If Thomas Tuchel’s side go deep into the tournament, Kane is surely certain to score his fair share.
Messi has claimed plenty of personal accolades in his career, but there is a Golden Boot-shaped gap next to the eight Ballon d’Or trophies in his cabinet. Aged 38, the 2026 tournament is his final chance.
At the other end of the age scale, Yamal will turn 19 the week before the final. Spain have not progressed beyond the round of 16 since their 2010 tournament win, but Luis de la Fuente’s men showed they have the mettle to go the distance at Euro 2024 and were impressive in qualifying.
Premier League Golden Boot winner Erling Haaland has scored 26 league goals for Manchester City this season but his bid for the boot might depend on how long Norway stay in the tournament. Haaland scored 16 goals in eight qualifying games.
